Vacant
by cmsully
Summary: Jareth could only watch sadly as his beloved Champion fought to try and save herself. Songfic *song used: 'Vacant' by Dream Theater* Rated T to be safe. WARNING: Not a happy story... even more so if you have 'Vacant' playing as you read.


_****_*I don't own the movie Labyrinth or any of its characters. I also don't own 'Vacant' by Dream Theater.

WARNING: I shed tears while writing this... need I say more? Also, I have no true knowledge about how mental hospitals actually are run, I'm just going by what other people have written (so if I get things wrong, I sincerely apologize, and I would not mind if you instruct me on how I should've done things...)

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_**Hey you, hey you, I'm right here.**_

Jareth watched helplessly in his owl form as Sarah was forced into a van by the men in the white coats.

From what he was able to glean through the limited means he had available to him during these past six months, apparently her stepmother had been alarmed at the vividness of Sarah's stories that she told to young Tobias, especially when it came to the harsher parts of her tales. However, it had been her eavesdropping at Sarah's door as the girl was talking to Hogsfeet that was the breaking moment. After taking her to what mortals called a 'psychiatrist', he had _recommended_ that Sarah be transferred to a place where her 'delusions' would be rectified.

The Goblin King wished he could show this 'psychiatrist' the source of Sarah's 'delusions'. The foolish mortal would make a fine addition to the Bog of Eternal Stench… unfortunately, however, Sarah never uttered the words that would allow Jareth to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that what she said was nothing but the truth. She had learned her lesson too well, it seemed… a fact that he wished he could rectify.

He could've laughed at the irony had the situation not been so serious. Imagine, he, the granter of wishes, had a wish of his very own.

_Sarah… how you turn my world, you precious thing…_

_**Conscience fading, can't get through.**_

His heart tore at her helpless cries for someone, _anyone_ to save her as she struggled to break free from her captors. He wished he could, oh how he wished he could… but the damned laws of the Labyrinth forbade him.

_Why_ did he have to wait thirteen years before he could contact his beloved Champion, when she so obviously needed him _now_?

Already he had Goblin Guards protecting the boy should his mother feel as if he needed to be taken away, as well. However, Sarah couldn't even have that, at least not for another six and half years… only those who had attended her party could get close to her, and even then they needed a mirror or another reflective surface to cross. Jareth cursed his great-grandfather, the damned creator of those damned laws, with every fiber of his being.

The worst part, however, was when Sarah saw him sitting on the branch. He knew that she recognized him, knew that as her face crumpled in hurt, despair, and _betrayal_ that she thought these circumstances were his twisted revenge. Oh, how nothing could be farther from the truth. She would never know that he had tried to fly to her multiple times, only to be thrown back once he crossed the boundary set by the damn laws. He had tried so many times… and he failed, every single time.

Taking advantage of her momentary lapse, one of the men in the white coats injected what Jareth knew had to be a sedative. His head turned away sadly as Sarah finally succumbed to the drugs that they had injected her with. As the vehicle left the driveway, he spread his wings in order to follow and see where they were taking her. If only he could do more to help her… but alas, even he, with all of his power, couldn't break the Labyrinth's laws.

All he could do was watch… and wait.

_**Oh Lord, helpless… confused.**_

As first the days, then the months, then finally the years passed, Jareth researched every bit of document that had even a _shred_ of Labyrinth law written on it.

He was the master of finding and exploiting loopholes… he _will_ find the one he needed to save his precious Sarah!

His subjects, even the ones with a decent amount of intelligence to their names, were baffled by the King's behavior. Why would he go so far for the one who defeated him at his own game? The three most baffled by his behavior were the very same ones who aided Sarah in her run, with Piggle being the one most outspoken about it.

_But what no one knew was that the Goblin King fell in love with the girl…_ and in order to keep her safe from his enemies Underground, he kept that fact to himself.

Still, though, as he passed the three year mark with seemingly no progress… he felt utterly _helpless_, even more so than when Sarah had first rejected him, for he needed the time she simply did not have as she continued to stay in that asylum. Irony is a cruel thing, indeed.

_**Head swayed, eyes glazed… and mine teared.**_

If he was forced to choose which one of Sarah's 'treatments' he hated the most, Jareth would honestly and vehemently answer that the electro-shock treatment was the worst. Only that had the ability to temporarily block Sarah's connection to the Underground. Sir Didymus, the ever loyal fox (and yes, despite the fact that he had helped Sarah during her run Jareth still considered him quite loyal. Sarah _had_ found a loophole in his sacred oath, after all, and the knight was always soft-hearted towards maidens in distress), was always the one who informed him whenever his subjects couldn't get a hold of her.

Every time it happened, he was as close to her window as he could, a silent guardian offering what little support he could. She never saw him.

The few times her head had faced the window, his heart _tore_ at the sight of her eyes that saw but didn't _see _what was happening in their surroundings. Her head simply lolled on her pillow, and he was filled with anger every time he saw her bound for her 'safety'. The Champion of the Labyrinth should _never _be bound!

Jareth discovered on those days that yes, owls _could_ cry. He cried every single time he saw her, as she was slowly losing the will to fight.

_For my will is as strong as yours…_ however, even the greatest wills were worn down with time. A fact that was slowly becoming apparent every time the 'doctors' upped her dosage to counteract her 'rebellion' in her persistent beliefs in the Underground… in _him_.

_Hold on, Sarah… don't let them tear _you_ down…_

_**She's losing control, what can I do?**_

It had been in the sixth year when Jareth first felt his fear overcome his hope.

The rock-caller Ludo had been the one to first raise the alarm, with Higgle and Sir Didymus following close behind. As they rushed into his throne room, the beast moaned about how Sarah was in pain, and she needed help _now!_

Fear gripping his heart, Jareth turned towards the other two and ordered in a harsh voice for them to explain. For once, Hogwart was quite civil as he explained that the doctors had tried what they called an 'experimental drug' on Sarah, and she was now suffering from a 'reaction' to it.

Jareth didn't let him finish as he transformed and flew as fast as he could to what he now considered his branch. His eyes widened as he saw what was happening to her.

Sarah was writhing on the bed, moaning and obviously in pain. Doctors swarmed around her, obviously trying to figure out what was causing this. However, Jareth was stunned to hear what he was able to hear over the pests' raised voices.

"_I'm so sorry, Jareth! I didn't mean to hurt you! I wish…_"

Gasping even though he was in owl form, the Goblin King, even as his heart once again _tore_ at what his beloved was saying, had the first inkling of a potential loophole going through his head… and it was all inspired by a memory.

Jareth could almost kick himself as he flew away to confirm his suspicions. _How_ could he have overlooked such an obvious way to get Sarah back Underground?

If he was right, he was going to need Toby's help… and it needed to be done in a way that his stepmother wouldn't suspect anything. Perhaps, the owl mused, he should follow the Labyrinth's example…

_**Her vacant eyes, black holes.**_

The seven year-old Toby glanced around the hallway cautiously, hoping that there wasn't a doctor anywhere nearby. His ears strained for any hint of an adult that, should they discover him here, would send him back home without a second thought. When no such sound came, he dashed towards his destination.

Once inside, he made sure to close and lock the door. Despite his youth, he knew that he needed no interruptions for this idea to work. Toby finally turned towards the person he had come to help.

Sarah was lying there on the bed, looking much smaller than he remembered. The few memories he had of his sister had been of a fiery woman who, despite being trapped inside of this building with those who didn't understand her, told him the most wonderful tales and supported his love of fantasy- a love that he had to suppress around his mother.

He gasped at the sight of her eyes. The eyes that had once shown a fiery emerald were now like two shards of broken glass. It was obvious that the Sarah he had once known was lost… but hopefully not _gone_.

Reaching into the pocket of his jacket, Toby pulled out his newest treasure- a book that he knew Sarah would've liked, despite the fact that it was obviously written for children his age.

_The Tale of the Goblin King's Sorrow._

Caressing the cover, Toby reflected upon the story written within. The story about a misunderstood Goblin King who once played villain against the girl he loved, only to lose against her and lose _her_ in the process. The King then suffered as she was imprisoned by those who didn't believe her tale, being imprisoned himself by the laws that his Kingdom ran on. However, after many years of searching, the King finally found a way to free his beloved by having the very brother who had been central to their original conflict perform the very action that had led to them being foes in the first place. He had found the book in his favorite section of the park, just sitting there on a nearby park bench. After looking around to see if it had an owner, he felt himself being drawn to it, as if it had _wanted_ to be read by him.

Ordinarily, while Toby was not the biggest fan of love stories… this particular story echoed deeply in his soul. Somehow, he _knew_ that he was the brother who had once been wished away, and Sarah was the Goblin King's imprisoned beloved.

It was the only way he could explain his earliest memories of being surrounded by what could only be Goblins, and of the blonde man who sang that song that (to this day) he could catch himself humming. He never told his mother about those memories… no, he didn't even tell Sarah about them. Especially not after she finally told him the tale of the Labyrinth, which she had once recited when Mom and Dad had been in a conference with the person who had been responsible for putting Sarah in this awful place. The two of them had managed to secure some alone time out in the asylum gardens, and she had (at great risk of getting caught by the staff) told him the tale about the spoiled girl who had once foolishly wished away her younger brother, only to win him back from the Goblin King.

As she had finished that tale, she made him memorize a phrase that he promised he would recite whenever he felt he was in danger: you have no power over me. The very phrase that the sister had used to force the Goblin King to surrender her brother.

Toby wasn't stupid. Although he had initially been angry when he first got the feeling that he had been the one wished away, he knew that Sarah had been dealing with her parents' divorce. A girl in his class had gone through the same thing recently, and she lashed out against those who tried to help her, as well. He decided to take heart in the fact that Sarah had, in fact, managed to win him back despite her childish anger towards his mother.

He had figured out that Sarah was still very afraid for him, afraid that the Goblin King would try to take him once more. However… he knew better. Toby knew from the book that it was _Sarah_ that the Goblin King wanted, and he had a feeling that being in the Goblin King's hands would be better for his sister than being trapped in this horrible place.

A movement outside of the window caught the boy's attention. Toby's eyes widened as he spotted a large barn owl perched on a nearby branch, staring at him with a certain determination.

_Say the right words_, the owl seemed to say. Toby would swear that the same phrase seemed to echo around the room, as if creatures that were hiding just out of sight were whispering, _urging_ him to save his sister.

He refused to let them down. Brushing her hair back, Toby then whispered, "I'm sorry Sarah… but you'll die if I don't do this." Taking a deep breath, the boy who was once wished away himself finally uttered the phrase that would hopefully save his sister.

"I wish the Goblins would take you away, right now!"

_**Am I losing you?**_

The tragic story of the Champion of the Labyrinth spread quickly throughout the Underground. About how the Goblin King fought his own laws in order to save her from the ignorant fools Above, and how he finally managed to get her wished back to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City.

Many wept upon hearing how Jareth, once he had returned from his post outside of her window for the last time, had paled upon seeing her dire condition then roared for his healers to attend to her. They mourned upon hearing that though her body still lived, her mind and soul were locked away with very little hope of them ever returning.

It is said that the Goblin King still has hope that Sarah will one day return to her old self. Rumors say that he visits her every chance he gets, with the desperate hope that one day those dull eyes will once again fill with the fiery determination that had enabled her to win against him.

Only time will tell if his wish will be granted… or if the Champion will be lost forever within the Labyrinth of her own creation.

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A/N: So, yeah, apparently it's breeding season for my plot bunnies... any ideas on population control? And hooray for my first true Labyrinth fanfic! Hopefully it turned out okay...


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